To me, holiday meals are there to conjure nostalgia. The same desire for familiarity governs the tipples I want to prelude holiday meals, that stretch when the smells permeating the house incite increasingly ominous stomach growls.

This is not the time for some newfangled drink — not for a room of people who are gritting their teeth, trying to be on their best behavior and silently mouthing to themselves, “Remember, she’s family; remember, she’s family,” possibly in reference to you. Instead, have mercy, and provide a chance to sip their own bittersweet bolt of booze.

The Old-Fashioned is about as close as you can get to one of the earliest-known definitions of the cocktail itself: “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters,” according to a New York state newspaper in 1806.

Over its early years, depending on who was making it, the Old-Fashioned was complicated with other ingredients like maraschino, orgeat and soda water. For a while it was topped with fruit. The modern drinkmakers who brought it back have leaned on its more elegant, unadorned form, even while developing riffs of their own.

An Old-Fashioned bar with all the bitters and garniture and sweeteners at hand will accomplish a number of goals: It allows guests to make their own drinks with pleasure, so you can focus on making sure your cousin’s attempt to deep-fry a turkey doesn’t create a fiery avian projectile, or sneak away from your family to the tender embrace of your phone. The drink provides a means of bonding, as guests can play with ingredients and taste each other’s concoctions. Your little bar space provides a place where guests can walk away from awkward conversations.

Setting up your bar

Here are the necessities.

Bar space: If you don’t have a good, sturdy bar cart, create a tabletop space to allow guests to do minimal prep work. You may want a sign to guide them, explaining the standard recipe is 2 ounces of spirit, a little sugar, a few dashes of bitters and ice.

Glassware and tools: You’ll need rocks glasses and a bar spoon for stirring. A muddler is useful too, to mash up the bitters and sugar (and the fruit, if guests opt to do so). You can go with another early tool: Small spoons, just taller than the rim of the glasses, which guests can use to stir.

Spirits: You’ll want at least three or four bottles of good, sippable spirits: at least a bourbon, a rye and a brandy. They don’t have to be the most expensive, but you don’t want junk. While they’re not traditional, an aged rum, a dry gin and even agave spirits can make an appearance.

Sweeteners: The classic is defined by the muddling of bitters into sugar. There are plenty of other options: Different kinds of sugar, agave nectar, honey syrup (1:1 honey and hot water, which helps honey dissolve in a cold drink). Sugar cubes already dosed with bitters and other flavorings. Flavored syrups: Ginger, cinnamon or a chai tea variation that brings in spices and a tannic bitterness. Or try liqueurs or a PX sherry.

Bitters: Angostura bitters are a must. You can vary the menu with orange, the anise-y Peychaud’s, or other bitters with darker or spicy flavors — think black walnut, cardamom or chocolate.

Ice: You don’t need more than fresh, clean cubes, but if you plan ahead, you can prep some big, clear cubes that will be slower to melt and fit perfectly into a standard rocks glass. Several companies make clear ice molds for a regular freezer.

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Holiday Old-Fashioned Sugar Cubes

Makes about 100 servings. To use these in an Old-Fashioned cocktail, add two of these sugar cubes to a rocks glass, top with the whiskey of your choice, and crush the sugar cube with the back of a spoon or muddler. Add a couple of ice cubes and swirl the contents. The sugar cubes and broken bits can be stored in an airtight container for up to several months.

Ingredients

2 C sugar

1 TB Angostura bitters

1 TB orange bitters

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with enough parchment paper so that two sides have some overhang (for easy lifting).

2. Whisk together the sugar, both bitters, the vanilla extract and orange zest in a mixing bowl, until thoroughly incorporated; the sugar will be tinted a pale, orangey pink).

3. Spread the sugar mixture evenly in the baking dish, then use the bottom of a glass to press/pack it down. Working gently, use a sharp, thin knife to score/slice the pressed mixture into 1/2-inch cubes. Bake (middle rack) for 20 to 25 minutes, until set.

4. Let cool completely before lifting the slab out of the pan and gently breaking apart the cubes. There will be a significant number of crumbled ones; that’s okay. Save that sugar in a separate container.

Makes 16 servings (makes about 1 cup). To use in an Old-Fashioned, combine 1/2 ounce of the syrup with 2 ounces of your preferred whiskey, dark rum or aged apple brandy, a dash or two of bitters and a couple of ice cubes. Garnish with an optional twist of orange or a cinnamon stick. The syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

1 cup water

2 small chai tea bags

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1. Boil the water in a small pan over high heat, then remove from the heat, add the tea bags and steep for 4 to 6 minutes.

2. Discard the tea bags; stir in the brown sugar and place the pan over low heat; cook, swirling until the sugar has dissolved. The yield is about 1 cup.

3. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to a container and refrigerate until well chilled, or up to 1 week.